Important changes legislation

On 1 January 2022, the New Deal for Consumers takes effect. This is a package of EU measures aimed, among other things,
at improving and modernising consumer protection. The new regulation has an impact on bol.com, its partners and suppliers.
Therefore, we find it important to inform you about this.

Part of this are 3 European directives which will make consumer law uniform in Europe and will be further tightened.
These guidelines will be converted into national legislation which will enter into force in phases.

Below we will tell you more about the 8 most important changes:

1- Reviews

From May 28, 2022 bol.com must check the authenticity of the review. We only allow reviews originating from customers
who have bought or used the item via our platform. Furthermore, bol.com is obliged to explain on its website how reviews are
checked and processed. It is forbidden to post fake reviews and recommendations, such as “likes” on social media to promote articles.
It is also forbidden to misrepresent customer reviews or recommendations, for example by only publishing positive reviews and
removing the negative ones.

We are currently implementing the new review system. We expect it to be implemented before the end of this year.
From the moment of implementation onwards it will only be possible to post a review at bol.com if you have actually purchased the item.

2 – Right to updates

Customers are entitled updates for digital items (such as phones and laptops) and for digital content (such as e-books and software).
The seller will be responsible for execution. By law, the seller is obliged to inform the customer about the availability of these updates
and the installation instructions must be clear. This rule takes effect on January 1, 2022.

3 – Deadline to file a complaint

If a customer discovers a defect in a purchased item, he/she must submit a complaint in time. There is no fixed term, a complaint within 2 months
is considered timely. This complaint period does not apply to articles with digital content, such as software and e-books.

This rule takes effect on January 1, 2022.

4 – Extension of the legal “presumption of innocence” period                                                                                               

If a defect in a product occurs within 6 months after delivery of the purchased product, it is assumed that this defect already existed at
the time of delivery. This period will be extended to one year. This rule takes effect on January 1, 2022.

5 – Tightened conformity requirements

A purchased item must have the properties that the consumer can reasonably expect, this is called conformity. The conformity requirements will
be elaborated and tightened up in the law. There are 2 types of conformity: objective conformity requirements (does the quality meet the customer’s expectations?)
and subjective conformity requirements (does quality meet the consumer’s expectations arising from the purchase agreement?).
This makes it even more important to properly inform the customer about the properties of an article because it will become more
likely that the customers approach sellers. This can be done on the product page. Showing correct product information on the product
page is the responsibility of the partner. This rule takes effect on January 1, 2022.

 

6 – Commercial guarantees

These are the guarantees that you as the seller or the supplier offer in addition to the legal guarantee. This guarantee must be described in clear
and understandable language and must be provided on a sustainable information carrier. Advertising (including your product information at bol.com)
is leading. Various fields are available on the product page to clearly communicate warranty conditions to the customer. The information about
guarantees, as shown on the product page, is therefore decisive. This rule takes effect on January 1, 2022.

 

7 – Discounts and price reductions

When reducing prices (including discounts), sellers must state as the ‘from’ price the lowest previous price that applied during a period of at least 30 days
prior to the price reduction. It is therefore not possible to first increase the selling price and then decrease it and refer to the increased price in communication.
It remains possible, however, to set a price against a price other than an earlier sale price, for example against the recommended retail price.

8 – Quality differences of articles

Offering an article in one EU country as identical to an article in another EU country, while the composition or characteristics are not the same,
is seen as misleading. In addition to the information you receive from us, it is important that you are aware of the current consumer legislation.
It is your responsibility as a supplier to know what your customers are entitled to and to ensure that the purchase agreement with the customer
is complied with. Prepare yourself well for all changes. In our communication we provide general information about a number of changes.